WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4

MUSIC—The stars are brighter in Canada, at least when it comes to great indie pop band Stars. With their lush boy-girl vocals, infectious melodies, and sad-sack edge, this band of five is lovely incarnate. Their newest album, No One Is Lost, is just as poppy as their past synth parties, so wear your sparkly dancing shoes and give in to the night. COURTNEY FERGUSON
w/Leisure Cruise; Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $20, all ages

COMEDY—Your best bet for Wednesday night comedy is the stellar show run by Mercury friends Bri Pruett and Alex Falcone (along with co-hosts Anthony Lopez and Curtis Cook) in a bike-shop basement. Tonight? Same deal. This week's Earthquake Hurricane showcase features longer sets by talented out-of-towners Bryan Cook (LA), who created Competitive Erotic Fan Faction, and Patton Oswalt's tourmate Derek Sheen (Seattle). DIRK VANDERHART
Kickstand Comedy, 1969 NE 42nd, 8:30 pm, $5

THURSDAY, MARCH 5

BLAZERS—Messing with Texas is (supposedly) a no-no. But it's so fun! Even the Dallas Mavericks know it—they've been messing with themselves the past week, what with all the locker-room discord and public shouting matches between coach and player. Sounds like a perfect opportunity for the Blazers to steal a win from a Western Conference powerhouse. BOBBY ROBERTS
Moda Center, 1 Center Court, 7:30 pm, $15 & up, all ages

MUSIC—Broke and got to get up early for work? The Firkin Music Fest's got your back, with a three-day, totally free, early-evening music fest with a stacked roster of great local bands, including Talkative, Tango Alpha Tango, the Hill Dogs, and lots more—plus they're pouring cask beer from the firkin. Get firked up! NED LANNAMANN
Firkin Tavern, 1937 SE 11th, Thurs 6 pm, Fri-Sat 7 pm, FREE

FRIDAY, MARCH 6

MUSIC—One of the many reasons to love Prince is his habit of tacking on secret shows whenever he tours, compacting the formidable power of his pop kingdom into tiny, tiny venues full of lucky, lucky people. Seeing fully on-point tribute act Erotic City at the homey Spare Room is the closest thing to replicating that experience. MARJORIE SKINNER
The Spare Room, 4830 NE 42nd, 9:30 pm, $5

VIDEOGAMES—It's always fun to hear the fantastic Oregon Symphony cut loose a bit. With Replay: The Art of Videogames, they'll perform music from some of the best (and best-scored) videogames, from smaller titles like Portal and Journey to the epics of Halo and The Elder Scrolls, with the haunting theme of Zelda thrown in for good measure. Naturally, the music'll be accompanied by the games' striking visuals. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $20-95, all ages

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

COMEDY—Jackpot! Recording Studio's hosted musical giants Elliott Smith, Jolie Holland, Stephen Malkmus, and Quasi, and tonight it branches out to comedy with PDX Comedy Mixtape!, a live recording session hosted by Andie Main, featuring local stand-up treasures Curtis Cook, Barbara Holm, Christian Ricketts, Nariko Ott, Veronica Heath, and more. Get a look into how your comedy album sausage gets made, plus a download to take home! MEGAN BURBANK
Jackpot! Recording Studio, 2420 SE 50th, 7:30 & 9:30 pm, $13

LLAP—Last week, at age 83, Leonard Nimoy died. Tonight, the Hollywood is screening 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It's not only one of the most beloved and acclaimed science-fiction movies—it's also a movie that features a whole lot of Spock. These two things are not a coincidence. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 6:30 pm, $8

QUEER DANCE—One of Portland's funnest recurring dance nights returns! It's Sugar Town: Good & Plenty—an ass-wagglin' dance party for the LGBTQ community (and those who adore them!), featuring barn-burning soul music... all performed by women. DJ Action Slacks will be digging deep into her bottomless crates with DJ Miss Callie, so expect an evening jam-crammed with sexy fun and sweat. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
The Spare Room, 4830 NE 42nd, 9 pm, $5

SUNDAY, MARCH 8

COMEDY—Oh, this is quite the score. See Kids in the Hall's Kevin McDonald (he's the curly-haired one) at the teeny Brody Theater. He's doing an evening of stand-up, improv, and sketch that'll be chock-a-block with his distinctive brand of physical, surreal, and off-kilter comedy. Oughtta be amazeballs. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Brody Theater, 16 NW Broadway, 7 pm, $25

MUSIC—What do you get when DJ Premier takes sick throwback beats made from samples of Adrian Younge's 21st-century soul, and Royce da 5'9" raps on top? You get PRhyme, one of the best and most spirited new collaborations around, one that embraces hiphop's past and looks ahead to its unseen future. NED LANNAMANN
w/Your Old Droog, Boldy James, Serge Severe, DJ Zimmie; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez, 8 pm, $20-25, all ages

MONDAY, MARCH 9

MUSIC—Swervedriver's first album in 17 years, I Wasn't Born to Lose You, pretty much picks up right where the Brit shoegazers left off. It's another mass of blurry, dreamy songs that still manages to hook and catch your ears—a lick here, a word there—while thickly rushing by. Go remind yourself that the '90s weren't as musically awful as you remember. DENIS C. THERIAULT
w/Gateway Drugs; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $15-17

FILM—This summer, Jurassic World will feature Chris Pratt teaming up with velociraptors to fight a new, genetically engineered dinosaur—but there's a lot to be said for the original Jurassic Park, which stands as one of Spielberg's all-time classics. You'll want to see it again before this summer, and you'd be an idiot to pass up the chance to see it on the big screen. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Laurelhurst Theater, 2735 E Burnside, see portlandmercury.com/movietimes, $4

TUESDAY, MARCH 10

FILM—It's not enough to just own the albums; you want to be a real killer bee, you gotta know the inspirations. The Hollywood's Kung Fu Theater series presents a double dose of 35mm classic Wu Tang swordplay, with 1983's Bastard Swordsman and 1976's The Magic Blade. You can't join the swarm if you don't know the roots. Get educated. BOBBY ROBERTS
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Bastard Swordsman at 7:30 pm, The Magic Blade at 9:30 pm, $8

BOOKS—Mitchell S. Jackson's autobiographical novel, The Residue Years, was selected by Multnomah County Library for this year's Everybody Reads project—and no wonder, given it's a look into poverty and race in Portland, written in sharp, lyrical prose. Jackson grew up here but now calls New York home; tonight's a rare, worthwhile chance to see him in person. MEGAN BURBANK
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $15-65, all ages